What is the difference between traditional, self, and “vanity” publishing? Which type is Perpetual Light Publishing?

Traditional: publisher owns all rights.

In the past, there were few options for new authors to break into the business. The chances of a new author’s work being seen by the public were pretty dismal. We were limited to the slow, bleak process of sending out queries to the handful of publishing houses that would even consider a children’s book. With the rising cost of inks, especially color inks for high-quality picture books, traditional publishing houses are rejecting even the most beautifully-written manuscripts at an alarming rate. They accept new authors less and less as they struggle to keep their doors open in today’s rapidly-changing readers’ market. Traditional author contracts tend to assume all authors’ copyrights, giving very little freedom to the author in any decision-making regarding the book.

Self: empowered? Or alone?

Print-On-Demand (POD) companies such as the Amazon-owned Kindle Direct Publishing (KPD) and Ingram Content Group’s IngramSpark (IS) have completely changed the book business. Since there is no longer the need to buy and store copies in high quantities, almost anyone can afford to “be an author” these days. On the surface, “self-publishing” appears to be the answer to all problems. You are not alone if you’ve caught yourself daydreaming about readers lining up for blocks to get a fresh copy of your book signed at that huge chain bookstore. And all you have to do is hit “send,” right?

We, too, once woke up from that dream to the reality of tax forms, hidden fees, shipping costs, clunky websites, unanswerable questions regarding “metadata,” endless file rejection messages, and hours upon hours of frustration. The truth is, most of us need the help of a professional to navigate these so-called “self” publishing waters.

And that’s just the first day. The management of a perpetual literary work, one that is read and treasured for many generations to come, doesn’t end with hitting “send.”

Vanity: beware.

In desperation, some authors turn to “vanity” publishers. These bait-and-switch companies lure discouraged authors in by showering praise for almost anything in print, sometimes things not even in print yet, and begin immediately painting you a picture of that long line out the bookstore. They start gradually hitting you up for money. Before you know it, you’re thousands of dollars in debt with cases of flimsy, sub-par paperbacks cluttering up your living room, barely able to give away your masterpiece. We’ve seen it happen. One of our company’s founders witnessed her brother fall victim to this scam.

Publishing with light: sharing the burdens and the benefits.

Enter a new era.

Some call it “hybrid” publishing. Others call it “boutique” publishing. Perpetual Light Publishing likes to call it a partnership.

We have no hidden costs: the prices listed on our “services” page are public, and we are choosy about the clients we accept. PLP strives to form a family of like-minded Catholic creatives who support one another and share the same goal of bringing the beauty of our faith back into children’s literature.

If your manuscript or pitch is a good fit for this family, we’ll hugely discount the cost of the work we’ll do for you in preparing your book for publishing (see “packages” on our Service Menu). Then we’ll create an author contract that does not take away your copyrights. We’ll offer a very generous royalty. And then we’ll celebrate, together.

Where are PLP books printed?

Short answer: right here in the U. S. Our printing and distributing partners are in CA, IN, PA, MA, MN, NY, OR, TN, and WA. Our overseas authors can print and distribute from the UK and even “down under” (Melbourne, Australia to be exact)! We even have partners distributing in China, Germany, India, Italy, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Spain, and Brazil.

How and where are PLP books sold?

PLP authors’ books can be sold by anyone, anywhere. We proudly work with Ingram Content Group, the world’s largest print company with over 7.5 million titles, to provide our authors with the most professional distribution service in existence. If you are reading a book, chances are Ingram is behind it. Bookstores, libraries, schools, churches, and yes, Amazon, stock their inventory with Ingram products.

It gets even better. Due to our relationship with Ingram as well as our industry expertise in the marketing and sales of books, we can help you sell your titles directly, if you desire. Provide your readers books from your vendor booth or your author website. The sky’s the limit.

How will I get paid?

As a PLP author, you will be eligible to receive royalty payments after all service costs are paid in full as mutually agreed upon in your signed author contract/work proposal. Book sales revenues begin to come in to PLP from Ingram 90 days after a book sales report. From Ingram:

"Payment on your unit sales from our distribution partners: Ingram will report both print and eBook sales to customers within a week after month-end and will pay within 90 days of the sale. As an example, sales that are reported the first week of May (April sales) would be paid to a customer 90 days later (first week of August).”

What kind of books does PLP publish?

Our authors write books that put smiles on the faces of our readers. Our illustrators create colorful picture books that kids love so much, they beg their parents and teachers to read them over and over! We want middle grade (beginning chapter) books full of real-life mystery, adventure, and suspense that entertain while also inspiring tweens to become who God wants them to be. Teens and young adults (YA) also need more clean, moral, exciting stories about both familiar and new experiences to which they can relate.

We are always on the lookout for more books filled with virtuous, relatable characters that young people will admire and long to emulate. We seek works of fiction in top-selling genres that promote virtue without seeming preachy. While we are not necessarily looking for more Bible or Saint stories all of our stories’ messages must be consistent with the Christian Catholic worldview. We will not publish anything that goes against the Magisterium of the Church.

What if I don’t want to/am not able to publish with PLP?

We do have the right to refuse publishing your manuscript under the PLP imprint. Some of the reasons we may reject a manuscript include: the work is not likely to sell to our audience, the quality or style of writing is not up to our standards, or, if already illustrated, the quality of the outside illustrator’s artworks is not consistent with the look we are going for as far as our branding style.

If we do not accept your submission for publication under the PLP imprint, in most cases we can still provide services for the prices listed on our “a la cart” menu. We have even been able to assist some tech-savvy,  entrepreneur-oriented authors “self-publish” under certain circumstances.

What is a “royalty?” 

A “royalty” is a set percentage of a book’s net profit from sales that a publisher pays to the author. 

The PLP family works at managing all the hours of work work involved maintaining, renewing, distributing, setting pricing and return policies, handling shipping problems, etc. for the long haul. From the moment your book goes live on Amazon, we’ll work as hard as you at boosting sales. Through our bookstore, PLP has expertise in selling as well as publishing. We handle issues with customer returns, distribution changes, and place your author copy orders for you.

Do you have any resources for authors?

Absolutely. Please visit the “Author Resources” page to find help with all kinds of author stuff. You’ll find aids for creating story boards, helpful hints for creating plots, articles about choosing illustrators, and even our house style guide. PENDING

Can bookstores return my books if they don’t sell?

It depends. Bookstores can only return unsold copies if we enable them to do so through our company dashboard, and the reasons for enabling or disabling retailer returns depends upon several marketing parameters. This is part of the reason Ingram takes up to 90 days to pay (and then our staff needs some time to write out author checks, of course.) Because the cost burden of unsold books lies on the author, PLP works hard to avoid getting into this rare situation where books could be returned.

What are some different types of image files?

JPG-print: JPG file in CMYK color profile and hi-res (300 dpi) to use for print.

JPG-web: JPG file in RGB color profile and low res (72 dpi) for web.

PDF: Since Adobe Reader is a free download, this is a safe format to guarantee that anyone can open your file.

PNG: This file supports transparency, whereas JPGs do not. This way, your logo or other image won’t have a white box around it. This file works great in print as well.